


The Golden Boy

by spaghettilotr



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: FAHC, Fake AH Crew, Fatherly Geoff, Mavin, Young Gavin, Young Michael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-09 17:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10417815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaghettilotr/pseuds/spaghettilotr
Summary: Gavin loves gold. He always has. And no matter what, it always seems to lead him in the right direction.





	1. The Very Beginning

By the age of 10, Gavin was no stranger to pick-pocketing. He mostly went after wallets, but he would occasionally snag expensive looking jewelry to sell at a pawn shop on the shady side of town that was willing to turn a blind eye to his… method of acquiring said jewelry. 

At age 10, Gavin had been on the streets for two years, having run away from his parents when they were on a trip to the States.

At age 10, Gavin got his first taste of the beauty of polished gold.

He was down by the ocean, looking for unattended bags and wallets. It was cold by local standards, so there were only a few tourists enjoying a day at the beach. He wandered down the shoreline, no one even sparing him a glance. Who would? A kid strolling down the beach is hardly an unusual sight.

He saw them sitting on a rock next to two blue beach chairs. Two beautiful gold wedding bands. The couple had probably taken them off to avoid losing them in the waves. Gavin grabbed them without a moment of hesitation.

It wasn’t until later, when he was making his way to the pawn shop that he actually stopped to look at the rings.

They were plain wedding bands. The only difference between the two being a few small diamonds embedded in the smaller one.

They were gorgeous.

There was something about the way the sunlight reflected off the smooth surface… he suddenly couldn’t bring himself to sell them.

Looking back, it was highly impractical for him to keep those rings. He could have easily gotten a couple hundred for them, and in the years to come there were many instances where he really needed that kind of money. They didn’t even fit on his boney fingers. He had to keep them in the pocket of his dirty jeans.

Nevertheless, those rings stayed in his pocket, along with several other golden treasures that he collected from that day on.  
He was comparable to a magpie; always finding and hoarding shiny objects like bracelets and rings.

When he was 14, he found himself searching for half decent food in a dumpster behind a popular restaurant when a man in an expensive looking suit walked by. The man was tall, and he carried himself like he was someone important. Most importantly, a beautiful gold watch was clasped around his wrist.

He was exactly what Gavin looked for in a target.

He hopped out of the dumpster with a sigh, trying to sound as disappointed as possible without being overly obvious. Walking towards the man, he allows himself a moment to be excited about his find. After six years on the streets, he’s gotten remarkably good at pick-pocketing. The past couple years he’s managed to only get caught once or twice, and only when he was being particularly careless and cocky.

He’s unclasping the watch when a strong hand grabs his wrist. Gavin’s eyes widen as he looks up at the man. He has a long, curled moustache on his upper lip, and blue eyes so bright that Gavin feels trapped in his gaze.

The man smiles. Gavin feels afraid.

“Hey there, buddy. Whatcha doing with my watch?”

This isn’t the first time Gavin’s been caught like this, but it is the first time he’s felt frightened. Still, he has a system in place for when this sort of things happens, and it’s always worked in the past.

Gavin starts to tear up.

“Please,” he whimpers, “Please don’t hurt me. I- I’m sorry! I just- I haven’t eaten in so long and I… Please don’t hurt me. I just… I’m so hungry.”

The man doesn’t stop staring at him, but he does loosen his grip.

“You’re good at that.” he says.

Gavin wipes his eyes with his free hand and looks up at the man with wide eyes.

“Good at what?”

The man grins. “This whole situation. You’re good at snatching things, and you’re certainly good at talking your way out of things. For a kid at least.”

The man let’s go of Gavin’s arm and holds out his hand.

“Geoff Ramsay, and you are?”

“G-Gavin.”

“Well, Gavin, how would you like a job?”

“What sort of job?”

“Whatever you want really. We can start you off with some pick-pocketing, maybe move up from there if you feel comfortable. I can promise that whatever you choose, it’ll pay well.”

“…How well?”

“Couple thousand a week at the least.”

Gavin’s eyes widen. Without a second thought he grasps Geoff’s hand tightly.

“You’ve got yourself a deal!”

Geoff smiles again and gestures for Gavin to follow him. As Gavin falls into step beside him, he reaches into his pocket and fiddles with his treasures. This was the start of something good. He could feel it.


	2. Chapter 2

Three schools in three years.

Fuck were Michael’s parents gonna be pissed.

They were calm right now, trying to convince the principal to give their 8th grade child a good recommendation to the few schools that would be willing to take a child with such a bad reputation this late in the year, but Michael already knows the drill. He knows every word of the lecture his mother will give him. He knows exactly how hard his father will hit him once is mother leaves the room.

I mean, it’s not like he tries to get in so many fights, and honestly the whole “arson” situation was taken out of context.

That night, after the hour long lecture and a brand new bruise under his eye that his mother will pretend not to notice, he sneaks out of his room and wanders the town.

He walks for about an hour when three sure trucks wiz by. Without really thinking about it, Michael turns to follow them.

Turning the corner, Michael finds himself face to face with a blazing fire. It looks like an apartment building or something. Flames lick their way out of the windows on almost every floor. Firemen dash into the building looking for survivors.

“Gas line exploded,” he hears a fireman say to a woman. She has tears in her eyes and a blanket around her shoulders.

As the heat from the flames hits his face, Michael finds himself struck.

It was… pretty.

**********

That’s how it starts. After that, Michael buys himself a lighter. He keeps it with him at all times. Whenever he gets stressed at school, or faces his father’s fists at hime, he takes out the lighter and stares at the little flame.

He starts going out more, which of course means he gets in more fights, which, on a few occasions, leads to police involvement. His father gets particularly angry those nights.

When Michael turns 16, he finds himself in front of an old abandoned house on the edge of the city. His legs shake as he pours gasoline over the weakened boards, but not out of fear.

For the first time in years, he feels excited about something.

He stands a few feet away and exhales as he throws a match onto the porch. Flames immediately surge upward, clawing their way through the rickety house.

He stands there, feeling the heat on the face until he hears sirens in the distance.

He was infatuated with flames before, but now… now he was in love.

Michael’s not stupid. He’s watched Forensic Files; he knows that the cops will find something to trace the fire back to him, so he buys himself a bus ticket and leaves New Jersey on the first bus West. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he just wants to get away from everything.

He thinks Los Santos sounds nice.

**********

He makes his way west, occasionally stopping to burn down some old house or something. 

Just outside of Los Santos, he sets fire to a gas station. The explosion is beautiful.

As gorgeous as a raging fire is, an explosion is 10x more stunning. Flames surge higher and higher in a cloud of debris and fire heat, and Michel finds himself feeling the same thing he felt so long ago, staring at an apartment fire.

You could say the explosion sparked something in him.

He finds people. Chemists and ex-military officers, anyone who has knowledge and experience with explosions. He learns and practices and eventually, he learns how to rig C-4 and sticky bombs. He can create grenades as easily as chefs can cook a meal.

Los Santos finally sees Michael Jones at his best (or his worst, depending on who you ask).

When Geoff Ramsey first approaches him, he turns him down. He likes being on his own. He likes being able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants.

But apparently Geoff Ramsey doesn’t take no for an answer, because he keeps showing up. In the motel room Michael’s renting, or leaning against is (stolen) car after a job, even bumping into him on the street.

After a few months, just after his 20th birthday, Michael gives in, and allows Geoff to introduce him to the three man crew known as the Fake AH Crew.


	3. Chapter 3

Gavin clicks instantly with Geoff’s new hire. Geoff and Jack are nice, and he loves them, but they act more like parents than friends.

Michael’s fun. He yells and chases Gavin around the tiny townhouse than functioned as the FAHC base at the time. He screams at video games and laughs when Gavin does something stupid.

Their first heist together is a simple convenience store robbery. They manage to get almost $1300 out of it, and escape the cops with little difficulty.

They’re hiding in a parking garage when Michael gets a grin on his face and grabs him by the hand.

Michael drags Gavin back to the gas station, and the two of them hide on the roof of the building across the street. Michael pulls a remote out of his pocket and smirks at Gavin before pressing the button.

The convenience store explodes into a cloud of flames so intense that Gavin’s hair is blown out of his face.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Michael asks, awe filling his voice.

When Gavin looks at Michael, he can see that Michael has little flakes of gold in his brown eyes. Gavin finds himself unable to look away.

“Yeah,” he responds, “beautiful”.

**********

The heist is going well. They’ve recruited a couple more people into their little crew, and honestly Ryan and Jeremy couldn’t be more perfect for their little family.

The Fake AH crew is chaos personified. People are starting to fear them.

The heist is simple. Michael has the back of a jewelry store rigged to explode. Gavin, Geoff and Ryan go in, swipe as much as they can as fast as they can, and get the hell out. Michael detonates the C-4, giving the three a perfect exit into the back alley, where Jack will be waiting with the getaway car. Meanwhile, Michael and Jeremy will be positioned across the street, keeping the cops at bay.

Michael puts up a fuss about being away from his boi, but honestly it’s probably better this way. More often than not lately Gavin finds himself completely distracted whenever Michael’s near.

The heist works flawlessly, until it doesn’t.

A stray bullet shatters the large glass window, which both startles the frontmen, and gives the cops a completely clear shot into the jewelry store.

Gavin, who had been admiring a beautiful gold chain necklace with a single diamond hanging from it that for some reason reminded him of Michael, was suddenly pulled out of his trance as Geoff grabs him by the back of his collar and roughly pushed towards the back of the store.

Michael detonates the C-4, and if they thought things were chaotic before, it was nothing compared to what awaits them in the alley.  
Cops are streaming in from both directions. MUCH more than they were expecting.

Geoff and Ryan jump in the nondescript black van, but before Gavin can join them bullets pierce the air, forcing Gavin back into the shop, behind the small portion of wall that survived the explosion.

More cops storm the alley way, no aware of their plan. That’s when the panic sets in. They need to come up with a new plan. Fast.

“We’ll swing back around to the front. Meet us there in 30 seconds,” Geoff tells him. He tries to use his soothing voice, but it’s transparent. Geoff’s just as terrified as Gavin.

Gavin swallows thickly and nods before running back through the store. It’s hectic. His legs are shaking so badly he narrowly avoids smashing into the counter.

As he’s nearing the front of the store, who else but Michael pulls up right in front on his motor bike.

“Come on, don’t just sit there! We gotta move! Lil’ J’s holding them off but he can’t do that for long. Get on!”

Michael’s words spur Gavin into action and he runs, faster than he can ever remember running, all but leaping onto the back of the bike and wrapping his arms around Michael.

Michael speeds down the street, swerving to avoid bullets. 

It’s just when they’re feeling almost safe when Gavin cries out in pain.

Hot pain shoots up Gavin’s side. He knows he’s been shot. Nothing he’s ever experienced has ever felt like this. This is pain like he’s never known.

Michael swears and swerves into an alley. They race through Los Santos, Gavin desperately holding onto Michael. Praying to whatever God might be listening that at least Michael makes it home safe, if he can’t.

After what feels like hours Michael screeches into a stop and pulls Gavin off the bike. He carries Gavin into a rickety old house and gently lays him on the old couch. He runs into the kitchen and grabs a first aid kit from under the sink. He rushes back to Gavin, crouching in front of him and cutting off his shirt around the bullet wound. He looks at Gavin apologetically and puts on a pair of latex gloves.

“I’m sorry. This is really gonna hurt,” he warns.

He doesn’t give Gavin a chance to respond before he plunges into the wound, searching for the bullet. Gavin cries out in agony, and Michael chokes back what sounds like a sob, but he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t stop for a solid minute before he almost triumphantly pulls out the bullet. Gavin’s stops screaming, but his face is contorted with pain, and he’s whimpering softly.

Michael quickly pulls out a needle and stitches up the wound as best he can. He sighs to himself when he’s done. Gavin’s still in obvious pain, but he’s not bleeding nearly as much as he was. It’s all Michael can do with what he has on hand.

He gently places a hand on Gavin’s cheek.

“It’s all done now, boi. You’re safe.”

“Am I gonna die?” Gavin mumbles, exhausted from the pain.

“Nah, boi. You’re stuck with me for now.”

“Michael?”

“Yeah, Gav?”

“I’m cold.”

Michael instantly rips off his leather jacket and wraps it as gently as he can around Gavin’s shoulders. Gavin sighs and almost manages what looks to be a smile.

“Smells like you,” he slurs, before closing his eyes.

He knows it shouldn’t, considering the situation, but Michael’s heart skips a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late! I've been working out at a farm the past couple weeks, which means no wifi. The next (and probably last) chapter is almost done. I'll probably get it out by next week sometime.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! Just a heads up, I will inevitably be adding more to this, but my schedule's super busy right now so I don't really know when. I'm also not sure how much I'll be adding. I promise Mavin by chapter 3 at the latest though!!


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